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Flair
Flairs are the main abilities used throughout HEADCASES. "Flair" is the term given to a psychic's unique array of psychic powers. History Being a psychic is something a person is born with. Some people are born as "hylics", meaning they have no access to PSI. Others are born as "psychics", obviously meaning that they do have access to PSI. PSI is an extremely powerful ability. So powerful, in fact, that the full grasp of PSI's power cannot be comprehended by humans. Instead, a human psychic can only grasp a small portion of psychic power that feels familiar or natural to them. For example, a timid person may be able to create force fields, and an angry person may be able to conjure lightning. In this way, psychic powers are similar to an instinct. This instinct is called a "flair" and is unique from person to person. Because flairs depend on the psychic's personality, they may change throughout the psychic's lifetime or after some kind of event that would change the psychic's personality somehow. Extensive training may also allow psychics to pick up new abilities. These "learned abilities" are generally simple powers like telepathy or telekinesis. If one wishes (and given they are at least 18 years old), they may allow the government to officially document and archive information on their flair. During times of war, the government can use this information to draft psychics with desirable flairs. Despite the fact that documenting your flair isn't mandatory, this led to the popular practice of giving your flair a catchy or memorable name. Types of PSI The effects of flairs are broken up into three different types of PSI. Some flairs may utilize than one type of PSI (or in some cases even all three), but they will always be categorized under at least one. Flairs that utilize more types of PSI are generally seen as "stronger", although this may not always be the case. Cognition Cognition PSI affects people's brains. The two sub-types of Cognition PSI are Sensory and Thought PSI. Sensory PSI affects the senses. Examples include blinding people, deafening people, and making them see things that aren't there. Thought PSI affects how people think or act and is generally a more psychically intensive school of PSI. Examples of Thought PSI include telepathy and mind control. Evocation Evocation PSI refers to abilities that create things seemingly from nothing. In reality, these powers use a psychic's inner psychic energy as fuel for their effects. They are generally more taxing on the user than the other two types of PSI. Examples include summoning lightning, fireballs, force fields, light, mist, etc. Manipulation Manipulation PSI refers to abilities that physically effect preexisting matter. Examples include telekinesis, making things bigger or smaller, passing through walls, teleportation, transmutation, etc. Psychic Energy All living animals contain psychic energy (Ψe) within their bodies, even hylics. If one is a psychic, they have the ability to expend this energy on psychic feats. When one's Ψe is depleted, their powers weaken or go away temporarily. This energy can be regained simply by eating and resting. Some people have a higher capacity for Ψe than others, allowing them to use stronger flairs or use their flairs for longer periods of time without rest. Different types of PSI typically use up more Ψe than others. The hierarchy of such use is as follows: The Psychic Arm "The Psychic Arm" is the most common metaphor for the limited range of psychic abilities. The metaphor goes as such: when a psychic uses PSI, it is like they are projecting an invisible "arm" to go out and perform tasks. This "arm" has a comfortable range of some number of meters, although it varies from person to person. Forcing this "arm" to reach beyond its normal range requires one to expend more Ψe. It also may not force its way through solid objects without, again, expending more Ψe. This usually only applies when trying to affect the inside of containers like boxes or other rooms, however, as it is often simply enough for the "arm" to move around obstacles. Known Flairs Brainstorm Under the effects of the drug Brainstorm, hylics are given temporary psychic powers. See the related page for the full list of known Brainstorm flairs.